 Many of the respondents (X%) are immigrants from India.

Hence there could be a bias in

that regard as they do not have social support system such as grandparents, relatives to take
care of children. On the other hand the immigrants may not have the responsibility of care
giving to elderly as they may have their parents in the country of their origin.

 Culturally the Asians tend to not complain and live their problems or work around the
problems. (reference with some research report or book)

 Seriousness with regard to responding to survey questionnaire. This might lead to some
errors. Some might give honest reply whereas others may not.

 Sample is a convenience sample and not really a random sample which is preferred in the
research. However the respondents have been spread over various sectors, levels of
management and age groups.

 Tendency to be neutral

 oversimplification of social realityThe arbitrary design of questionnaires and

multiple-choice questions with pre-conceived categories represents a biased and
overly simple view of reality. Individual responses to questions lead to the arithmetic
manipulation of figures, creating frequencies, averages and rates that represent
"average replies", ratios or proportions that carry no real significance on their own

 The spread of respondents among the sectors is not uniform, i.e. there are more
respondents in some sectors and less in some other sectors.

 Cross-sectional surveys lead to the reading of a static or "photographic" image of

what is, in reality, an interactive and dynamic process.

 Even when questions are correctly formulated and well-intentioned, they often end up
being inadequate or even irrelevant with respect to the culture and values of the
respondents. Survey research techniques are clearly blemished by prejudices, or
influenced by the ideology and value system of the researchers.
 Although sampling strategies and changes in questionnaire construction have
improved the application and acceptability of surveys, they have proved once again to
be insufficient in overcoming these prejudices.

 The survey study, which explores the intimate and discreet behaviour of everyday life,
leads to questionable results, and about half of collected data are considered erroneous
or misleading, and therefore of poor reliability and dubious validity.

 In synthesis, survey methods are an effective tool in collecting objective data, but
"weak and wasteful" in collecting subjective and attitudinal data
The use of closed questionnaires and pre-coded forms often elicit an incorrect, evasive or
deliberately wrong answer. There are few references to the occurrence and importance of
lying informants in survey research [5,6,7] and most agree that respondents do not lie without
good reason. Often, lies are resorted to as a mechanism of escape from an embarrassing
situation, created by the subject the question evokes.

Disadvantages:

 The significance of the data can become neglected if the researcher focuses too
much on the range of coverage to the exclusion of an adequate account of the
implications of those data for relevant issues, problems, or theories.

 The data that are produced are likely to lack details or depth on the topic being
investigated.

 Securing a high response rate to a survey can be hard to control, particularly when
it is carried out by post, but is also difficult when the survey is carried out face-to-
face or over the telephone.

CULTURAL EFFECTS AND WORK ETHIC

 Fundamental to the admirable traits exhibited by working Asian workers and

professionals are frugality, hard work, cohesive family units, value for education,
trading skills, respect for authority and reverence for duty. These qualities are
readily traced to the Asian world influenced by a Confucian model characterized
by patriarchal concerns and a continuous quest for cooperative harmony-typical
Asian traits. Lest one forget, Confucianism and its evolved Neo-Confucianist work
dynamism advocated an inner transcendence that permeated the lives of its
practitioners. The values inculcated among its followers resonated in bo
th religious and educational halls for centuries. The movement over time
ascended the ranks of the merchant class creating a corpus of élite-cultural
Confucianism. This eventually played a vital role in the formation of the merchant
ethic characterized by diligence, frugality and honesty. These centuries-old
qualities permeating throughout the generations and jumping geographical
boundaries still appeared confined to the eastern sphere of the globe - but not for
long.

 fundamental features of this Hindu work ethic? They are: thrift, hard work,
sense of duty, respect for the family unit, respect for education, mathematical skills, and
entrepreneurial skills.

 The Hindu paradigm of dharma–of doing one’s duty, whatever it may be–is a
powerful
force in keeping the individual focused on a superordinate goal. It does not make one
fatalistic; on the contrary, if one’s dharma is to be a trader, to amass wealth, then there is
scriptural authorization to do so.

 “Working late and staying in the office until the boss has left seem to be imbedded within
Asian culture.”